


You Will Rot

by believesinponds



Series: Pimms Week 2019 [2]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: (although there is the language kind of cursing here too), (like the magic kind not the language kind), M/M, Magical Realism, Multi, cursing, fathers getting what they fucking deserve, shitty parent cw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 16:03:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20342839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/believesinponds/pseuds/believesinponds
Summary: Kent prepares a special little spell for his shitty, shitty father.“Your lies are baredYour soul is fraughtAnd like this appleYou will rot.”[Pimms Week Day 2: Spite]





	You Will Rot

**Author's Note:**

> Can I get uhhhhhhh one self-indulgent cursing-your-shitty-dad fic? And a large order of fries.

“I hate him.”

“I know.”

“I wish he would just fuckin die already.”

Scraps squeezed his hand. “I know you do, Parse.”

“It would just make life so much better for, like, _so_ many people. You know?”

“I know.” Kent frowned at the text from his father--another divorce to add to the pile, another mess for Kent to clean up.

When would it end?

“Maybe you should call your mom. She might be able to talk you through it.”

“Nah.” Kent took a screenshot of the text and then deleted the thread. “She just gets upset about this shit. I’ll tell her about it later.”

“Yeah, okay.” Scraps pulled him into a hug. “I’m sorry, man. I know this sucks.”

“It really fucking does.”

“You wanna cuddle and watch _Nailed It: Mexico?”_

Kent allowed himself a small smile. “Yeah. That sounds perfect.”

* * *

**Jack Zimmermann  
**Found it. I’ll send you the link.

**Kent Parson**  
thx babe :*  
can you bring the stuff when you come home?

**Jack Zimmermann  
**Of course. You got a taglock?

**Kent Parson**  
yeah i already linked it to the apple  
she had a recent pic of him on her facebook  
guess she hasn’t gotten to the delete-all-evidence-of-his-existence stage yet

**Jack Zimmermann**  
Nice.  
I’ll stop at the store after practice.

**Kent Parson  
**c u soon

* * *

Kent played with the words of the simple curse Jack had found, altering them to fit his needs.

“It’s not enough,” he muttered, changing the first line to incorporate _lies._ “It’s too simple, it’s not enough.”

Scraps pulled the pepper down from the cabinet and threw some into the pot that he was manning. “So write more. You’re good at that shit, Parse.”

Kent pulled in a deep breath. He stared at the note on his phone for a moment longer and then blew the breath out. “Yeah. You’re right.”

By the time Jack got home, Kent had finished writing five extra couplets. Jack smiled at him and held up a grocery bag. “Got the stuff. The nails at the store were all too shiny, so I stopped at the junkyard and pulled some rusted ones out of some wood.”

“Nice. Thanks, Zimms.”

Scraps stirred the boiling mixture on the stovetop. “Did they have the horseradish?”

“Yep.” Jack tossed him a small root. “Hope that’s enough.”

“It’s plenty.” Scraps grated in the new herb and smiled at the simmering liquid. He blew a chef’s kiss. “Perfection.”

Kent held his hand out and made a grabby gesture, pulling Jack toward him as soon as he was in range. “Hi, babe.”

“Hi.” Jack leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “Need any help with the spell?”

“Nah. I think I’m almost done.” Kent crossed out the words _to make it bared_ and replaced them with _to make things square._ “There. Think you can look over it for me?”

“Sure, bud.” He leaned down and put his arms around Kent’s shoulders, his face pressed close to Kent’s cheek.

Kent breathed in his scent and felt his muscles relax. He felt so much better when Jack was around.

“Looks good to me. You used the wrong spelling for sow, though.” Jack grabbed the pen and changed the _e_ to an _o._

“I hate that word,” Kent muttered. “I can never remember which one it is.”

Jack squeezed his shoulder. “It’s fine, Kenny. It’s the intent that matters, anyway.”

“True.”

“And I like the way you worded the second line.”

Kent laughed. “Thanks. I’m pretty funny sometimes.”

“Okay!” Scraps flipped off the stovetop and brought the pot over to the table. “Potion’s ready.”

“Great.” Kent gestured for the grocery bag. “Nails?”

Jack lifted the bag with the scavenged nails and poured them into the potion.

“Thanks, Zimms.” Kent set the already-prepped apple on a dish he had put in the middle of the table and picked up a pair of tongs. “Think we’re ready?”

Scraps and Jack both nodded. Kent pulled the first nail out of the hot potion and used his gloved hand to stab it into the apple.

It created a pleasant sizzling sound that made him smile. “Anybody else want apple pie after this?”

His partners laughed.

Kent stabbed another nail into the apple’s shiny skin. “God, that’s really satisfying.”

Jack squeezed his shoulder.

Kent took the rest of the nails out of the pot and one-by-one inserted them until each side of the apple had several nails protruding from it.

“Nice.” Kent admired his work. “And the string?”

“They didn’t have the embroidery stuff so I had to get a ball of yarn instead.” Jack held up a black ball of yarn for inspection.

“That works,” Kent balanced the nailed apple on the plate while he reached for the yarn. “Thanks for getting everything, Zimms.”

Jack just squeezed his shoulder again.

“You guys want to chant the first part with me while I do the string?” Kent looked up at his boys. “Might give it a little extra power.”

Scraps came around the table to join them, putting his own hand on Kent’s shoulder, and they all read the opening stanza together.

> “_Your lies are bared_
> 
> _Your soul is fraught_
> 
> _And like this apple_
> 
> _You will rot.”_

They repeated it while Kent wound the string.

> “_Your lies are bared_
> 
> _Your soul is fraught_
> 
> _And like this apple_
> 
> _You will rot.”_

He made sure to hit each nail at least once, winding carefully until the apple was covered in a black web.

> “_Your lies are bared_
> 
> _Your soul is fraught_
> 
> _And like this apple_
> 
> _You will rot.”_

Finally, the apple was all but hidden and every nail had connections to several others.

“There.” Kent cut the string and tied the end down. “Perfect.”

Jack and Scraps stood a little straighter as Kent held the apple up in his hands. He closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in deeply, imagining the sharp energy in the air being sucked in by the nails and tangled in the black web. Then he opened his eyes and looked down at his notes, reading:

> _“I call upon those who are there_
> 
> _To curse your ass and make things square”_

Jack and Scraps both snorted at that, which was Kent’s intent. He smiled briefly and then became serious as he continued:

> _“That old facade is failing fast_
> 
> _Your pristine image will not last”_

He imagined the wall of family pictures in his father’s home and watched as each one fell to the floor and shattered.

> _“Family, friends, and all now know_
> 
> _What you reap and what you sow”_

He pictured his aunt, his dad’s most fierce protector, staring down at her brother with disgust.

> _“Your bleakness will increase tenfold_
> 
> _No goods or children in your hold”_

He saw his little siblings playing happily at the park, therir different mothers sitting together and sipping lemonade while they chatted.

> _“And then when you have suffered all_
> 
> _Your time will end and you will fall”_

He visualized his father being handcuffed by the police, his father getting into a low-damage car accident that hurt nobody else, his father living in disgrace at this grandparents’ old home while the rest of the family moved on without him.

Kent cleared his throat and let out a breath. He closed his eyes and focused on the apple, focused on his father, focused on the freedom of letting him go.

> _“Your lies are bared_
> 
> _Your soul is fraught_
> 
> _And like this apple_
> 
> _You will rot.”_

Nothing drastic happened. There was no flash of lightning or chilly breeze. There was just Kent, his cursed apple, and a thrumming of energy pulsing through his body.

“Kenny,” Jack whispered, touching his hair lightly.

Kent set the apple on the plate, his shoulders sagging. He took a few calming breaths, letting his energy cool, and then looked up at Jack and Scraps with a small nod.

“It’s done.”

* * *

Kent carefully held the cursed apple, wrapped in a Target bag from their grocery bag drawer, and watched the familiar scenery pass by. Jack pulled the car into the long driveway cautiously--he didn’t want to draw attention from the neighbors--and Kent smiled. Nobody was home.

They parked and jumped out, glancing around, before heading to one of the larger trees in the back.

“This one looks good.” Kent stared up at the branches. “We used to climb this tree when I was little.”

Jack patted his shoulder. “Need help?”

The tree was very tall. Kent could probably reach the lowest branch himself, but he wanted to make sure this curse stayed hidden while it festered and worked.

“Boost me up?” He looked back at Jack and Scraps, who looked at each other and then crouched down to lift him together.

Kent felt lighter than the wind with his boyfriends supporting his weight on their big, strong shoulders. He reached up into the tree and tied the apple onto one of the more inner branches.

“There.” He patted Scraps’s head and they let him down. “Now let’s get out of here.”

They loaded back into the car, backed out of the driveway, and drove off in the opposite direction from where they came.

“Should we get smoothies?” Scraps slapped Kent’s shoulder from the back seat. “Celebrate the occasion?”

Kent laughed. “You know what, Scrappy? That sounds perfect.” He turned to Jack. “Zimms?”

Jack merged onto the freeway, smiling. “Smoothies it is.”

* * *

Kent’s father did not live happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this spell was the most cathartic fucking thing ever. I decided I wanted to make the words a little more personal, so I used the basis from the original spell and created something more specific. I feel like giving Kent this outlet also gave *me* this outlet and I'm super grateful for it.  
Fuck shitty parents lol.
> 
> The original curse is from [hail-tothe-queen](https://hail-tothe-queen.tumblr.com/post/186509061316/heres-a-creepy-little-song-i-started-singing-in) on tumblr. Thank you for creating this spell! (God fucking bless you <3)


End file.
